Better think twice before declaring Mets' bullpen cured

Mar. 13, 2009

Written by

Sam Borden

Journal News columnist

The Mets' bullpen was bad last year. Very bad, actually, and everyone knew this, whether by considering real numbers (5.02 ERA in the second half) or emotional numbers ("They blew like, a hundred games!" one fan I know fumed). Given that, it was hardly surprising that the bullpen was the Mets' top priority this offseason. They needed a new look: Another year featuring variations on the "Aaron Heilman trudging back to the dugout" theme wasn't going to play. Not with a new stadium. Not with New York expectations. Not after two straight years of unimaginable choke jobs.

So the Mets did an overhaul, something that teams around the majors do on a yearly basis. The difference in the Mets' approach, though, was that they did not go the route most other clubs go, did not seek to restock their pen with a mix of well-traveled veteran relievers and high-ceiling prospects. They did not look for this year's Grant Balfour or Rafael Betancourt or Jonathan Broxton. Instead, they did something unusual, expensive and - at least statistically - completely unprecedented. They doubled up. By adding both Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz this winter, the Mets put themselves in position to be the first team ever to go a full season with two legitimate, bona fide, in-their-prime closers on the roster. Rodriguez had 62 saves for the Angels last season to set the single-season high; Putz struggled with injuries last year, but had 36 and 40 saves, respectively, in 2006 and '07. Putting them together, with Putz working the eighth inning and Rodriguez closing, seems like an ideal solution and one that should almost certainly result in success: Two great relievers, both used to finishing games and pitching under pressure, now taking over the last two innings of games the Mets desperately need. Of course it will work, won't it?

Won't it? Truth is, no one knows. There is, literally, zero history to look at in terms of comparable situations. The save become an official statistic in 1969 and in the 40 years since, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, there are nine previous instances where a major-league team simultaneously had two pitchers on its roster with at least 90 saves apiece in the preceding three seasons. Just nine. And in none of those nine circumstances did both pitchers even stay on that team for the entire season, let alone work consistently in tandem over 162 games. Yet barring an injury or some unforeseen change in philosophy by the Mets, Putz and Rodriguez will become the first duo to do exactly that.

"We've proven that sometimes, unfortunately, one closer is not enough," GM Omar Minaya said earlier this winter, and there is no arguing with that logic. Not when Billy Wagner's injury so clearly damaged the Mets' hopes in 2008.

But there are also legitimate concerns about the chemistry of the situation. Putz has done all the right things so far, starting at his introductory press conference, when he said, "You don't sign Frankie Rodriguez to a three-year deal and then bring in another closer to close. That's fine. I'm excited to just be a part of this bullpen." Yet for all that goodwill, you wonder whether he will feel the same intensity in the eighth inning as he did in the ninth. Or whether he will feel any irritation about deferring to Rodriguez, particularly if Rodriguez goes through a rough patch at any point.

For Rodriguez, there is the potential to be more prone to second-guessing himself since Putz is looming behind him, as well as the added pressure of knowing he may not really have as firm a grip on his job as other closers around the league. Of course, it's also possible that Putz and Rodriguez will simply serve to motivate each other to pitch better, which is surely what the Mets are counting on. Of the nine previous teams to attempt some smaller form of this scenario, none had overwhelming success. Jeff Reardon and Lee Smith were an intimidating pair for the 1990 Red Sox - Smith had four straight 30-save seasons in the 1980s, Reardon finished the decade with five in a row - and they got off to a solid start only to be broken up when the Sox dealt Smith to the Cardinals in May for Tom Brunansky. In 1998, the Giants had Robb Nen closing for them and picked up Jose Mesa in a July trade to complement him. Unfortunately for them, Mesa - who'd blown Game 7 of the World Series for the Indians the previous season - was only modestly effective, going 5-3 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.565 WHIP in 32 games. Five of the other seven instances of two-closer partnerships involved either Armando Benitez or Ugueth Urbina (who both bounced around and disappointed a number of teams) while the last two were short-lived situations: A freaky late-season waiver claim by the 1998 Padres joined Randy Myers with Trevor Hoffman; and an injury-riddled season with Danys Baez, Eric Gagne and the 2006 Dodgers in which neither pitcher ended up becoming the closer or the primary setup man.

In other words, the Mets are being pioneers and utilizing a completely original solution to a very unoriginal problem. The Mets' bullpen was bad last year. Very bad and everyone knew it. Putz and Rodriguez are the best answer they could find.

At the very least, it is innovative: Two closers working together. One scenario no team has ever tried before.